Tess seemed like a queen to Clare

Tess seemed like a queen to Clare That summer， Tess and Clare unconsciously studied each other， balanced on the edge of a passion， yet just keeping out of it． But all the time， like two streams in a valley， they were destined to join．Tess had never been so happy as she was now， and perhaps never would be so again．

They met continually．They could not help it．They met daily in the half-light， at three o’clock in the morning， just before milking． They felt they were the first two up in the whole world， like Adam and Eve． Tess seemed like a queen to Clare， perhaps because he knew that she was the most beautiful woman walking about at this time of day． Lovely women are usually asleep at midsummer sunrise． But Tess was near， and the rest were nowhere． In the strange light she was no longer a milkmaid， but a vision of woman， the whole of womanhood in one form．

One day just after breakfast they all gathered in the milkhouse． The milk was turning in the churn， but the butter would not come．Dairyman Crick was worried．